Nate Berg tells the story of Rebuild By Design, a competition – and now its own organisation – based on taking a more proactive approach to disaster response in cities; but how far can you prepare for the effects of climate change?

The former mayor of Barcelona and the Mumbai-based architect PK Das are inaugural international winners of the annual Jane Jacobs medal. Both paid tribute to her enormous influence on their work in cities all over the world

The Shanghai Tower is another in a long list of ambitious skyscrapers competing fiercely for sustainability credentials as well as height. But how ‘green’ are these buildings – and is environmentalism really the motivation?

Manchester’s skyline is changing drastically as its economy booms. Something has to be done about the housing and office-space shortages, but critics say new developments are sacrificing historic buildings at the heart of the city’s identity

In recent years, public contests have been used for everything from the New York ‘Dryline’ to a new Guggenheim. But do these competitions just encourage gimmicky ideas – or are they a better way to prepare cities for a changing world?

By the mid-1800s, the River Thames had been used as a dumping ground for human excrement for centuries. At last, fear of its ‘evil odour’ led to one of the greatest advancements in urban planning: Joseph Bazalgette’s sewage system

In 1997 two architects set out to rethink Lagos, an African megacity that had been largely abandoned by the state. Amid the apparent chaos and crime, they discovered remarkable patterns of organisation. Two decades later,
Rem Koolhaas and
Kunlé Adeyemi discuss the past, present and future of the city – and reveal why their own project never saw the light of day

Architect Kunlé Adeyemi tells the story of why and how he came to design and build Makoko Floating School in Lagos, how he was inspired by the attitude of the slum’s residents, and how he hopes his structure will act as a prototype for dealing with housing shortages and the impact of climate change – a kind of ‘urbanism on water’

A year ago mayor Anne Hidalgo invited the world’s best architects to ‘reinvent’ the French capital. The competition called for environmentally friendly urban designs to transform sites such as public spaces and unloved tower blocks. Kim Willsher highlights a selection of the 23 winning proposals

Los Angeles’ fast-food stands are an iconic part of California’s tradition of car-oriented architecture. But as the city rapidly transforms, the hamburger stands are being erased from the urban landscape